Inside Jesse Lee Soffer And Nick Gehlfuss' Off-Screen Friendship
With the latest seasons of the One Chicago franchise – which features the shows "Chicago P.D.," "Chicago Fire," and "Chicago Med" — coming to an end, fans are already clamoring to know more about what's to come in the upcoming seasons this fall. In addition to that, fans are also dying to know what will happen to their favorite on-screen siblings, Jay and Will Halstead, and their off-screen friendship, Jesse Lee Soffer and Nick Gehlfuss.
On their respective shows, "Chicago P.D." and "Chicago Med," Jay and Will (Soffer and Gehlfuss) are the perfect opposition to one another — not only in their careers, but in their personalities as well. Dignified and protective, Jay may be the younger brother to Will, but the police officer's intensity is a mainstay, even when he is technically off the job. On the other hand, Will may be the older brother to Jay, but acts younger. For example, the much more carefree, spontaneous doctor was introduced to fans after he lost his job and needed to stay with Jay, per NBC Insider.
But as all siblings do, despite annoying each other with their antics, these two showcase the real side to sibling relationships — a relationship of love and mutual respect. But for Soffer and Gehlfuss, that mutual love and respect is not just on-screen. In fact, it is off-screen as well — which is why Soffer and Gehlfuss continue to be a One Chicago fan-favorite friendship.
Jesse Lee Soffer and Nick Gehlfuss auditioned for the same role
While it's hard to believe, there was almost a time when Jay and Will Halstead — played by Jesse Lee Soffer and Nick Gehlfuss — weren't brothers, or best friends, in the One Chicago franchise.
As a refresher, Jay Halstead, Soffer, joined the One Chicago franchise as a police officer in the first season of "Chicago P.D." Surprisingly enough, Gehlfuss also auditioned for a role on the show, though he ended up not getting the part. "They said, 'I'm sorry, you did great work but you look too much like somebody on our show right now and we're going to have to go with a different look.' But I felt really good about the audition, so I made my peace with that and moved on," Gehlfuss explained to the Chicago Tribune.
While Gehlfuss never revealed if that look-a-like was Soffer himself, those identical looks certainly came in handy when Gehlfuss explained that later, the series was looking for an actor to the play the brother of a character on "Chicago PD." Obviously, we all know what happened from here with Gehlfuss getting the role of Will Halstead. And it seems Gehlfuss and Soffer are so thankful it happened that way, allowing these two to become brothers rather than "Chicago P.D." costars. Like on social media, when these two reminded everyone of their brotherly bond by finishing each other's sentences in a video announcement for an upcoming crossover episode.
Jesse Lee Soffer and Nick Gehlfuss aren't just close on TV
Luckily, Nick Gehlfuss landing the role as Will Halstead in "Chicago Med" gave One Chicago fans not only their favorite sibling duo but their favorite off-screen friendship in the franchise. But since joining the show, these two have taken their roles so seriously, these brothers even saved someone in real life.
Back in 2021, Jesse Lee Soffer and Gehlfuss headed to grab a quick bite to eat together. That's when, Soffer explained, he and Gehlfuss saw someone crash their car. The two actors had been walking home from the restaurant when they heard the tires skidding on the road. At that moment, Soffer said that he and Gehlfuss's instinct — and possibly, One Chicago knowledge — kicked in. Soffer then explained the two saw the car on its side. "They had hit another car and rolled in, and Nick and I, we ran and he was like 'What are we doing?' And I was like, 'We go, we have to go.' And we sprang into action," Soffer said, per Hello Magazine.
After getting the woman out of the car, and getting her to safety, Soffer said that's when she noticed who had saved her life — everyone's two favorite brothers. "I was like 'Ma'am, don't worry, fire and ambulance is on the way. Are you okay?" Soffer recalled saying, "And she was like 'Aaah! It was like a weird meta experience for her that the Halstead brothers were saving her life."